1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hydrometallurgy and is more particularly concerned with an apparatus and method for the recovery of heavy materials from ore. Specifically, the invention is concerned with a sluice and the method in which the sluice operates to recover gold and black sand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past sluices have been used for the gravity separation of gold from sand and gravel. A typical prior art sluice has a hopper or sluice box into which the ore is charged and a flume for directing a stream of water by gravity over the charge, for eroding away the charge, thereby creating a slurry which thence, passed over the inclined gravity separator or extractor, i.e., a "Hungarian Riffle" (a series of upright ribs). The heavy matter is thus retained by the ribs of the riffle as the less dense sand, gravel, silt and water pass off of the riffle.
The prior art sluice operates at a very low rate in that it gradually erodes away the upper increments of the ore deposited in the sluice box. In some instances channels are formed in the ore which further reduce the efficiency of the sluice box.
The present invention provides for the more rapid and efficient generation of a slurry in the sluice box and the more efficient separation of the heavy constituents from the ore.